A state banquet, selfies and a noodle run: Trump’s Beijing visit

As the leaders of the world’s two most powerful economies rekindled personal ties in Beijing on Thursday and Friday, with a cavalcade of American business leaders accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump, the Chinese capital turned into something of a spectacle.

The visit — the first by a sitting U.S. president to China in nearly a decade — was full of friendly overtures, closely orchestrated pageantry, business dealmaking, and headline-grabbing sideshows that captivated audiences on both sides of the Pacific.

Beijing deployed its diplomatic arsenal to the full.

It laid on brass bands and flower-waving schoolchildren at the airport, a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People, a private tour of the Temple of Heaven, and a closing garden stroll at Zhongnanhai – the walled compound where China’s top leaders have worked and lived since 1949 – during which Chinese President Xi Jinping offered Trump rose seeds as a parting gift. 

“There were unusually long handshakes, back-patting, smiling, and synchronized walking during public appearances,” said Lyle Morris, senior fellow for foreign policy and national security at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “The interaction was warmer and more relaxed than some previous Trump-Xi encounters,” Morris said. 

Crowds gathered along streets near the Four Seasons hotel and the Great Hall for a glimpse of Trump’s motorcade. “It was quite a spectacle,” said Alicia Liao, a university student in Beijing. “We had an exam the next day, but almost everyone followed the broadcast or social media clips.”  

Xi hosted Trump at a lavish state banquet at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, raising a toast before an audience of cabinet officials and executives from some of the two countries’ most successful companies.

In his address, Trump called Xi “my friend” and said “we are going to have a fantastic future together,” while inviting Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan to visit the White House in September. 

Following his opening remarks, Trump raised a glass — filled with what looked like white wine, though the famously teetotal president likely had an alternative. Protocol for non-drinking leaders, as in the case of George W. Bush, typically involves sparkling cider or juice. The White House didn’t respond to CNBC’s request for comments on the contents of Trump’s glass.

But that gesture of toasting — whatever was in the glass — was widely appraised on Chinese social media as a sign of respect for the host country and its leadership.

In China, Trump is a “cultural icon and thus a source of conversation, disputes, and inspirations as only he can be,” said Han Shen Lin, China country director at The Asia Group.

The menu also read like a work of diplomacy in its own right: a blend of Chinese national dishes and international cuisine, including beef ribs and tiramisu, an apparent nod to Trump’s culinary preferences. China has for decades used the symbolism of food during landmark official events or when receiving distinguished foreign visitors.

On the banquet’s sidelines, Chinese CEOs jostled to grab a brief a moment with Elon Musk. Among the guests were ByteDance’s Liang Rubo, Lenovo’s Yang Yuanqing, and Fuyao Glass Industry Chairman Cao Hui, according to pictures on state broadcaster CCTV. 

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, a longtime admirer of Musk and one of the first owners of a Tesla Model S in China, was seen taking a selfie with the electric carmaker’s CEO before the start of the state banquet.

Musk, seemingly exasperated by the selfie request, raised his eyebrows and huffed before the photo was taken. The moment went viral in China, with many people on social media joking that Lei had been humbled by his hero. The hashtag “Lei Jun and Musk photo together” drew more than 20 million views on Weibo. 

Footage of Musk spinning in a circle while recording on his phone during a group photo, alongside Nvidia Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, also went viral, racking up more than 52 million views on Weibo. “This scene is unlike anything you’d see in America,” one user wrote.

He also brought his six-year-old son X Æ A-Xii, who arrived at the Great Hall in a Chinese-style embroidered vest and a tiger-head-shaped crossbody bag. The bag, marketed by a Guangxi-based artisan brand for around 300 yuan ($44.2), sold out online after videos circulated online. 

Commenting under a post about his son’s outfit on X, Musk wrote in Mandarin: “My son is learning Mandarin.” 

Off the formal schedule on Friday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was spotted strolling through Nanluogu Alley, a historic hutong district in central Beijing, in his signature black jacket, chatting with locals in a mix of English and Mandarin.

Photos of the American tech billionaire slurping noodles in an old Beijing alleyway spread quickly across Chinese social media. 

The crowds came fast. Pei Lan, a 58-year-old Beijinger, described elbowing her way to the front for a photo. “You have to be thick-skinned and rush forward. Very nice, very friendly in person,” Lan said, referring to Huang.

Huang also tried “douzhi,” a traditional Beijing fermented drink known for its distinctively sour, pungent flavor, before stopping for a cup of bubble tea from Mixue, a Chinese beverage chain, according to footage circulated online.

Huang joined Trump’s delegation as a last-minute addition after initially being left off the list, and boarded Air Force One during a refueling stop in Anchorage after Trump called to invite him. Signs emerged that Nvidia may soon be able to resume sales of its second-most advanced chips to China, after Washington granted export licenses.

Trump wrapped up the summit Friday with a private stroll with Xi through Zhongnanhai, where few foreign leaders have been invited to enter. 

Walking through a covered passageway with painted archways depicting birds and mountain scenes, Xi spoke about the compound’s history through a translator, then offered to send rose seeds. “These are the most beautiful roses anyone’s ever seen,” Trump said, according to the White House press pool.  

Out of the Thursday meeting, the two sides agreed to work toward a framework to put the bilateral relationship on a steadier footing for the next three years. The Trump administration said China agreed to purchase more Boeing aircraft, agricultural products, and American oil. Xi told the assembled American CEOs that the door to doing business in China would only open wider.  

The warmth was real — and so were the limits.

Xi warned that differences over Taiwan could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” if mishandled, calling it “the most important issue” in the bilateral relationship. Export controls, rare earth restrictions, and the unresolved shadow of the Iran war remain on the table. 

“Even the summit’s modest expectations were left disappointed,” said Michael Feller, chief strategist at Geopolitical Strategy. “Reading Beijing’s signals has been reduced to analysing the menu and orchestration of the official dinner: drunk and twice-boiled chicken – but no tacos – [and] a military band playing YMCA,” a Trump rally staple.